


The Lily and The Lilac

by luceyuka



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amaurotine Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Arranged Marriage, Echo shenanigans, F/M, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Garlean Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Hyur Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Imperialism, Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent, More tags to be added, Multiple Warriors of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Non-Chronological, Padjal Warrior of Light, Politics, WoL backstory
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:33:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25089973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luceyuka/pseuds/luceyuka
Summary: Vita has always accepted whatever fate would throw at her - but she didn't expect it to be a marriage with a Garlean prince, especially with Zenos wir Galvus. It only goes downhill from there.Sumire has never been the one to go down without a fight - so a fight it was, first for the Empire and then against them.The story follows the adventures of two very different women tied by the mysterious power gifted to them by the Mother Crystal, as they learn about reasons for the millennia-old war between the Light and the Darkness - each in their own way.
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light, Zenos yae Galvus/Original Character(s)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 11





	1. 0.1 - The Imperial Marriage

The room she was sitting in was rather small — not something you could expect from the imperial palace. It was supposed to be Garlean power and technological progress in form of metal and stone, and maybe in other rooms it really was like this — but not here. The fact that there were currently five people crammed into the small room didn't help the situation.

"Tell me if I accidentally hurt you, my lady," the Hyuran woman that was tending to her hair said quietly.

Traditional Ilsabardian bride's hair was supposed to be kept into an elaborate hairdo with a braid encircled around the head and the veil fixed under it. In a village it would be a piece of thin linen cloth decorated with simple embroidery, but for today an expensive hand-made silken decoration had been prepared.

After all, the Emperor's great-grandson was getting married.

An imperial wedding tradition hadn't existed at all until Solus zos Galvus ascended to the throne, but in the subsequent years it was more or less firmly established. Now that there were quite a lot of people bearing the Galvus name, the imperial weddings were a common sight. Numerous great-grandchildren were now coming of age, and, of course, got married to the children and relatives of high-ranking Garlean officials. The ceremony was said to be a pompous and grand affair with a great number of people attending, and the Emperor himself was always present to accept the new family member. There was no official religion in Garlemald, so marriage was a purely civil affair.

The women that were helping her get ready for the ceremony knew what they were doing, and soon the dark hair was fixed into the traditional hairstyle. The only thing left was the small golden circlet that another servant helped put into place. It framed the round bead of the third eye perfectly while also fixing the veil into its place and being the finishing touch of the hair.

"Thank you," the girl murmured silently and sighed. She was nervous — and who wouldn't be nervous in her position? Knowing what her caretaker had to go through for her to get this honor, knowing that his reputation was at risk depending on how she behaves in the palace… It was too big a burden for someone only eighteen winters of age. 

"They are calling for you, my lady," another person, this time a Garlean, peeked into the room. "It is time."

_Well, there is no backing out now._

The throne room was as large and cold as she had always imagined it to be — she couldn't help but feel the chills creeping up her spine. Eyes of all the people present were focused on her, surely waiting for her to take a wrong step, to make a mistake. She took the place that many young maidens of pure Garlean blood dreamed about and that only must have made her some enemies. Not that it mattered now.

The marriages in the royal family were always a political thing — even though the Emperor himself had married out of love when he had been the High Legatus, none of his offsprings were given the right to choose whom to marry. Tying the Legati that had a great influence in the army to the throne to prevent rebellions, granting war heroes the greatest honor of marrying into the Galvus family — that's what the imperial marriages were about. They were and had never been about love. Her only goal here was to help the man that raised her stay in the Emperor's good graces, nothing more. Even the throne room decorations were a proof to that — only the ivory standards and no wedding decorations one could expect from an Ilsabardian ceremony, starting from summer flower wreaths and ending with colorful ribbons she had seen on other bonding ceremonies. 

The groom was much, much taller than her, and she could feel his powerful aura even without looking up at him. He never bothered to look down at her as well — and to think that it was the first time they were actually meeting in person. The long blonde hair of the man that was to become her husband was freely flowing down his back — at least this is going according to the Ilsabardian tradition, she thought. The groom has his hair down, the bride has her hair up.

She turned her gaze to Emperor Solus who was… much older and human-looking than she had expected him to be. He still cut a rather imposing figure, and the look in his sulphuric-yellow eyes was rather scrutinizing, but he was still a man — a living and breathing man, albeit rather terrifying.

"Today we are officiating the union between a son and daughter of Garlemald," the Emperor began, slowly rising from the throne. "Both proven their valor and strength, both willing to lead our nation to prosperity — and such a union I am gladly accepting, for it will be the one to facilitate the growth and progress of the Empire."

The silence in the throne room was almost deafening. 

"By the will of the Emperor, I pronounce thee, Zenos wir Galvus, the husband to Vita bas Fidelis. By the will of the Emperor I pronounce thee, Vita bas Fidelis, the wife to Zenos wir Galvus, and grant thee the Galvus name."

While her now-husband was already wearing some kind of a crown, Vita's head was bare, waiting for this exact moment. She knelt before the emperor (which was rather hard to do while wearing a long dress) and he slowly placed a small crown of black metal down on her head. 

…and since then there was no Vita bas Fidelis anymore — only Vita wir Galvus.

***

The reception that followed was largely uneventful. The only thing that brought a smile on Vita's face was her caretaker, Antonius van Fidelis, coming up to her to congratulate her. The man, a Legatus that started out in the Bozjan campaign, was a father to her — she never knew her real father, so he was the one that replaced him. He must have been desperate to hold onto his place which was understandable because of his age, but many would have called his maneuver basically selling his daughter to keep his position. Vita, on the other hand, was glad to do something to at least try to pay him back. And maybe, in some years, when she acquired some standing at the court, she might try and do something about her blood family…

"I only wish the best for you, Vita," Antonius uttered, holding an almost empty wine glass in his hand. Seeing how he was struggling with putting the words into sentences, this wasn't his first glass this evening. "And I hope you will be happy."

"I hope so too," Vita smiled. "Come, father, let us find somewhere for you to sit, you are drunk." No surprise, though — he had had an alcohol problem for a long time already. Having helped the man into an armchair Vita decided to go outside, to the balcony. It was the peak of summer, one of the few weeks in the year when Garlemald and its capital weren't subject to howling winds from the northern ocean and when one could go outside wearing only one layer of clothing.

Her husband was nowhere to be seen — she could only see his father, Varis, talking to another member of the royal family back in the reception hall… She could vaguely recognize the face of another man, but couldn't remember exactly who that was. So, alone for the rest of the evening, it seems. Vita leaned against the massive railing and looked down at the parade ground in front of the palace.

So far all the rumors about Zenos wir Galvus she had heard have been proven wrong. Based on them Vita had imagined a monster barely keeping it together, ready to tear someone's throat open to bathe in their blood. But the man she had seen was just… indifferent. Nothing seemed worth his attention on his own wedding, and maybe she was a little offended by this — Vita had always considered herself to be at least pretty, and knew well of the effect her emerald green eyes and dark chestnut hair combined with her fair skin and a small smile could make on the boys of her age, but Zenos seemed to be completely unaffected. "Maybe his preferences lie in an entirely different field?.."

Suddenly she felt as if something had pierced her skull above her left eyebrow. Headache, so suddenly?.. She made sure not to drink alcohol so as not to embarrass herself, but it seems even this couldn't save her from a headache. The girl looked up in the sky just to see it being torn asunder by a meteor shower. Flaming red meteors were raining down above her, so close that she could see the stones' texture. How… How did people inside not notice this?!

**"Hear…"**

_What is it? Who is talking?.. A woman?_ Vita looked around to find nobody in her general vicinity. And still nobody seemed to take notice of the meteor shower.

**"Feel…"**

Somebody is definitely talking. The girl looked around again to find that only she seemed to hear something and to see the meteors. Why?.. An illusion of some kind?

**"Think."**

Another surge of headache, a flash of light in front of her eyes — and as if nothing had happened. It is as if all she had seen never actually happened — no trace of meteors in the dark blue sky, no woman talking nearby pleading her to hear, to feel, to think.

_"I must be nervous, that's all,"_ Vita thought. _"Wedding day, all of that. Seeing things. Maybe it would be best if I tried to go to bed early."_

***

The bedroom that had been prepared for them was larger than Vita's family's whole house, and the monstrous bed could fit at least five people her size on it. But right now she was here alone. The night's chill made her feel especially lonely — she had been brought here by a servant who left immediately after. She had to help herself out of the wedding dress and into a more comfortable attire of a tunic and pants fit for sleep. It must have been felt for future use, but she might as well wear it now.

_"Such a pretty dress,"_ Vita thought absent-mindedly, trailing her finger along the neat embroidery around the hem of the dress. _"And such a waste. Wedding this, bonding that — it doesn't matter if there are no feelings."_

She reached for her hair and stopped. Tradition dictated that on the wedding night it is the husband who should help his wife with her hair. All part of the ritual that she would have gladly partaken in... Only not with Zenos. 

The lock on the door silently beeped and it opened, revealing her new husband. He seemed quite annoyed by what was happening, but didn't say a word or spare Vita so much a look. The girl frowned and quickly started undoing her hair. After that she got into the bed and under the thick quilt.

"Let's get the matters straight," Zenos said, and Vita froze, noting in the back of her mind that he had a rather pleasant voice. "I'm not the one to strive for marriage and would have never paid attention to a woman like you were it not for my great-grandsire's wishes. I don't know what plans you had, but you might as well forget about them."

"I didn't have any plans, Lord Zenos," Vita said silently. "The betrothal was a surprise for me as well."

"Not that I care. You are not a prey worth hunting or even taking the time to kill, so I wouldn't waste my time on the likes of you if it didn't interfere with my hunt."

_He sure is a handful. Maybe the rumors were right after all._

"As long as you keep away from me you will live and get to stay here, if that's what you were opting for. I think that is a deal?"

_Well, at least he didn't kill me? That's good, isn't it?_ "It is a deal, Lord Zenos."

He got into the bed on the opposite side of her, and now Vita could appreciate its size more — she was sure that they wouldn't even accidentally touch in their sleep. Her palace life was definitely off to a weird start.


	2. 0.2 - Getting to Gridania

Doma has never been a merciful land — neither to its conquerors nor to its children. Blazing heat in the summer and frigid cold in the winter, rainfalls so grand they could drown a whole village, not to mention rend all the fields around it completely useless, — these were only a few things Doma had in store. Sadly, that didn't stop the legions of the Garlean Empire from conquering it and trying to assimilate its citizens into a perfect image of law-abiding "aans". Before they might not have been content, but they had their king, their country, their freedom. King Kaien still stayed on the throne, but it fooled no one — the "honorary viceroy" didn't rule his own country anymore, didn't get to protect the best interests of its people. Some people denied it and fought fearlessly — while others accepted and just went on with it.

Sumire kir Kanzaki was a daughter of one such man.

The change in regimes didn't affect her as badly as many other Domans — her father managed to curry the Garleans' favor, and by doing so his position as a wealthy merchant hardly changed. Sumire and her brother were both small kids when they were granted citizenship, and they had never known a life different from what they experienced under Garlean rule. As soon as Sumire turned sixteen, she got drafted into the army and ended up on an entirely different continent.

On Aldenard.

On the borders of an unknown realm known as Eorzea, in the army that had just conquered the nation of Ala Mhigo. 

***

To be frank, deserters weren't a rare occurrence among the ranks of the Imperial army. Most soldiers weren't even citizens and in their attempts to earn Garlean citizenship got humiliated and berated every day by their pureblood higher-ups. Of course, not all commanding officers were like this, but most of them were not the most pleasant sort. Some deserters were children, barely of age, drafted from the faraway villages of Othard and Ilsabard, who never wanted to fight for the country that treated them as slaves, who just wanted to go home. Some deserters were people desperate to get out of Garlemald, who enlisted to try and get closer to the borders with other countries as all travels inside Garlemald were under strict military control. Those who ended up in Othard were sometimes lucky enough to swim over the Ruby Sea and end up   
with the Confederates or even in Hingashi. Those who ended up in Aldenard weren't as lucky.

Of course, deserters were always harshly punished. If they got caught, immediate execution ensued. If they managed to escape, their squad had to make up for their crime and bear the punishment. Such measures have proven effective as preventive means, with soldiers themselves reporting those who tried to run away to the officers so as not to be punished. 

However, Sumire wasn't a common Legionarius. After more than ten years in the army she was already a Medicus Veteranus, which granted her the benefit of not being questioned every time then she was leaving the barracks. In Ala Mhigo she could blend in with the Hyuran crowd well enough and managed to explore the city freely. She still couldn't leave the city itself, but managed to procure a decently drawn map of the two regions between the Lochs, where stood the Royal Palace, and the Black Shroud — the Peaks and the Fringes. They were scheduled to be deployed to the battle at the Carteneau flats in a matter of days, and she had to hurry. 

Sumire had never wanted to fight for anyone's sake. It mattered little whether she was a soldier of Garlemald or the Doman army, or even one of Eorzea's Grand Companies. She went along with her father's wishes and only did what was best for him and for her brother. She would hide away in the infirmary and pretend she cures the people wounded not in battle but somewhere else, that she isn't one of those who fuel the flames of war by enabling the wounded to fight on. 

But now she was sick of pretending. Sick of sacrificing something she believed in for the sake of others — her very belief in a person's life being the most precious thing which must never be taken, especially to further someone's ambitions. She had never had an opportunity to choose — well, she had one now. And she had chosen to run.

***

Gridania would have been a perfect place for Sumire if it weren't on fire.

Garleans went as far as try to bring the lesser moon (called Dalamud in Garlean, Mitsuki* in Doman and just "Menphina's loyal hound" in Eorzea) down on Carteneau flats, causing nothing short of a Calamity. As soon as Sumire crossed the border between Gyr Abania and the Shroud by using primitive and thus hardly noticeable magicks to hide from Garlean patrols, she found herself in a vast and boundless forest. It took her three days to cross the vast deserts of Gyr Abania, and the battle at Carteneau had already begun. 

The forest was flooded with refugees running from fire raining from the sky, desperately trying to find shelter. Sumire could blend in well enough. The sky was torn asunder, as if Yomi* itself had just manifested in the world of the living. Even after having seen so much during her time in the army Sumire couldn't help but feel afraid. What if she burns with the forest?.. What if she turns into ash here and everything just… ends? 

"Hear"

She can hardly make out a voice calling out to her in all the commotion — children crying, men swearing, women begging them to stop and keep moving towards the gates of the city-state. Someone is… addressing her?

"Feel"

Such a strange voice — she can't make out who is speaking. Or is it just her hearing this?

"Think"

For a second sees fire raining down from the sky, but in a different place, in a different … time?.. She is surrounded by strange buildings so tall that they might as well pierce the skies, and the meteors are coming down on her head, and she screams, calls out an unfamiliar name and…

…wakes up lying face down on the ground, with people helping her get up.

"Are you all right, young lady?" an elderly Elezen woman asked, concern clear on her face. "You just fell and called out to someone…"

"I'm well enough," Sumire got up on her shaking legs, trying her best not to fall down again. She needs to keep on going, she's not far from Gridania. She'll think about hallucinations later. Not that this is the first time she sees them…

***

"Are there any people here who are familiar with conjury or other healing arts?" a masked man armed with a spear was calling out to the crowd at the gates. "We desperately need help now, there were too many injured in the fires!"

Sumire didn't stand back. Her initial plan was to lay low and not to attract unnecessary attention to her person, but what could she do now, with people injured and her being able to help?

"I'm somewhat of a healer!" she said, and the man immediately took notice of her, nodding. Some other people joined in, and soon a group of six entered the city of Gridania properly, heading to the Conjurers' Guild. 

She had a formal education in medical arts of Garlemald, however, those were without any magic — only using your own two hands to sew wounds back, put broken bones into place or or stop blood from flowing. Back in Doma Sumire also had a teacher who touched upon conjury during her studies — a geomancer priest who owed her father a favor. She never completed her education but had to learn in the field from other medics who could wield magic. For a society built by people unable to use aether Garleans really relied on doctors, both civilian and military, who could wield magicks. It surely wasn't Eorzean conjury, but something similar to it.

***

The infirmary (the Conjurers' Guild, Sumire corrected herself) was a mess. 

It was clear that it wasn't suited to house so many injured at the same time, and though local medics managed to cope with the amount of work that had fallen on them they clearly could use some help. Any help, even from an outsider with questionable competence. 

She had to use a simple wand handed to her. It was so different from a military-issued stave she used to have — more resembling a tree branch than an actual tool. However, it channelled aether perfectly, even better than her staff back in Garlemald, so Sumire wasn't one to complain. There were people who needed her help.

She would always distance herself from reality while healing. Concentrate on the magic itself, not the gruesome wounds and burns before her. She would always lose track of time and miss the point of no return, when she had used so much aether that it inevitably disrupted her body's own aetherial balance. Aether sickness wasn't a rare sight among medics in the Empire, who were always worked to the bone, but even after experiencing it more than a couple of times it was still an unpleasant enough experience. 

"You seem to have a decent enough understanding of how to use healing arts, but no idea of maintaining the balance between your body and the nature's aether," came a voice from behind. Sumire turned around to see a… boy? A blonde boy with horns, pointed ears and weird eyes almost glowing in the dark.

She had never seen someone who would look like this before.

"I never had a formal education in conjury," she murmured. "So I make do with what I know already."

"If… when we survive through this, I would like to speak with you," the boy said. "What would your name be?"

"Sumire," she wasn't one for aliases. "And you are?.."

"Lilac*? An interesting name for a Hyur. I am brother E-Sumi-Yan, head of the Conjurers' guild."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * "Mitsuki" — beautiful moon (jp)  
> * Yomi — Yomi-no-kuni, the realm of the dead in shintoism  
> * Sumire's name is the Doman word for lilac, so when she tells her name, the Echo automatically translates it if it were a simple word
> 
> As you might have noticed, the timelines of this chapter and the previous one are completely different. Vita's story begins a year or two prior to the events of 1.0, while Sumire's story begins during the Calamity. I purposefully don't touch upon Sumire's ten years in the army — it's a subject I'll explore later in the story.   
> As of the beginning of ARR Sumire is 31 years old while Vita is 24. As of now, I'll be writing snippets of their stories unrelated to each other until they eventually cross and merge into one storyline. While I'll be covering some events of ARR and Heavensward, they aren't the main focus of the story and will just serve as exposition until we get into Stormblood and get some of that plot (if I manage to write it at all lol)


	3. 1.1 — Alliances and Advances

"Is there something else you need, my lady?" the young maid that was appointed to serve Vita and help her with her new daily routine asked. It was clear the girl was new to the position and incredibly nervous about it.

"No, that will be all."

Vita looked in the tall mirror, catching her reflection's glance. Looking back at her was an unfamiliar young woman with hair put up in an intricate hairdo and wearing a dress that was probably worth her family's savings for three moons. A member of the imperial family had to look like one, after all. And now she had to go to a meeting with the palace's ceremony master — the one who will be explaining what was expected of her as a new member of the Galvus family.

Zenos had left before she woke up, and the maid relayed his orders to Vita. She could stay in the room if she liked, but the prince wasn't intending to share it with her. The girl quickly agreed that thank you, she will be staying here. And now she was on her way to one of the many drawing rooms of the palace to the meeting. 

The man was quite old — probably older than the Emperor himself. He wore the regalia of the ceremony master with pride and didn't seem to be fascinated with her, as far as first impressions were concerned. It was completely mutual.

She was now the wife of one of the Emperor's many great-grandchildren, and while his father was one of Lord Solus' most important allies, there was almost no chance that Zenos would ascend to the throne, so there was also no possibility for Vita to become the Empress of Garlemald. "You must be discouraged now, eh?" the man chuckled at her face. 

Almost nothing was expected of her and thus she wouldn't have many duties as her husband had no important role at the court. She had to attend the grand dinner that was held every evening where all the people bearing the Galvus surname and currently present in the capital would gather; the only reasons to be absent are a serious illness or being away commanding a legion conquering another savage land. Vita also had to make a formal request should she want to leave the palace grounds, so that guards would be assigned to her person. Apparently, not even the capital was safe from possible terrorist attacks on the royalty. She could also stay at one of the royal summer estates scattered around the continent of Ilsabard should she want to leave the capital and have a change of scenery, but not for long. 

Of course, there were also good things — she was free to roam the territory of the palace, which was positively huge and even had its own well-maintained park behind the main building. She now had an identification key that marked her as one of the family members and enabled access to various facilities such as the library and the training grounds. Speaking of which…

"I have some information regarding your training, but I'd rather have you tell about it yourself," the ceremony master looked Vita directly in the eyes.

"All right. I was studying to enter the Imperial Academy of Humanitarian Sciences, the history faculty. I was home-schooled by the tutors hired by my father and scored well enough during the entrance exam, however, I guess my studies are now over after never really beginning."

"And what subject did you plan to specialize in?"

"Father has always encouraged me to study Allag and become a military-affiliated engineer-slash-historian. So I was going to pursue this path."

"So you must have got some physical training as well?"

"I can wield a gunblade but only know the basics."

The man nodded.

"You'll have to show your skills later but at least you seem to have at least a decent basic education. However — don't think it will grant you any favors at the court. You must try and curry it yourself."

***

Vita quickly realized that the Imperial family was divided into several factions. The first one, led by the Emperor himself, was the militaristic and aggressive one — conquering savages, preventing the summoning of eikons, bringing the light of civilization to the benighted lands. Her husband's father belonged to this faction.

The second faction was led by Tiberius, Emperor Solus' second son and the ambassador of Garlemald in the Eastern trade state of Hingashi. He was speculated to be the next to ascend to the throne, and many people had high hopes of him. Tiberius was the one leading the so-called Populares faction, who represented the pacifistic side if Garlean politics. They were quite a big number and had a decent standing in the Senate, so any idea of a next invasion was inevitably debated by them, though they had never managed to veto it. Tiberius had three sons, all of them and their children, of course, were Populares. The Populares also encouraged naturalization of the savages in Garlemald by giving all of them citizenship, getting rid of the "aan" status at all, letting them partake in state examinations (as of now only available to citizens) and enter universities. Their latest initiative was to try and invite the children of wealthy families of Doma to get education and jobs in the metropolia, which was proceeding rather smoothly. 

And there also was the third faction — those few who distanced themselves from the dealings of the court, instead indulging in things their hearts and souls desired. Those were mostly children of the Emperor's third son and only daughter, who had little to no prospects of inheriting the throne, their offsprings and, surprisingly, Vita's own husband — Zenos wir Galvus. 

This gave the young woman some freedom in choosing whose support she shall seek — and she wasn't stupid to think she would be able to cope with the palace life and intrigues on her own. Zenos clearly stated he had to interest in her or her well-being, so she was entirely alone. And, of course, she had to seek the help of the faction that would win in the end if she wanted to stay here and carry out the goals she had in mind.

The Populares and Tiberius seemed well-off enough. Everyone knew that the Emperor's health was rapidly deteriorating, and soon His Radiance wouldn't be able to leave his room even for a short while. The most evident successor was Tiberius yae Galvus, and everyone thought that he would stop those "ridiculous" conquests and bring Garlemald the peace it desperately needed — there already were too few resources to fuel the war machine, and recently conquered Ala Mhigo with its natural ceruleum reserves didn't help much. He had the support of the Senate, who had the formal upper hand in declaring anyone Emperor, most ministries wholeheartedly supported him, the nation in general seemed to really like him.

But if Vita's history studies had taught her anything, that would be never go for the option that seems the best without at least considering other variants.

The Emperor was, of course, the most powerful person in Garlemald and probably the whole world (or at least the three great continents). He was the founding father of the nation, and while some people might have been debating his decisions, in the end his word was law. His faction mostly were the Legati, and first and foremost his grandson, Varis yae Galvus. The Populares might have had the Senate, but the militarists had the mighty Garlean army, and that alone was a solid enough argument. Also they were the ones encouraging technological progress and in-depth history studies (especially those of Allag). There were rumors circulating even outside the palace that there was another invasion being planned — in Eorzea, the land of savages, a kingdom with no king. Should it succeed, there would remain no countries powerful enough to debate Garlean dominance, and the support of the Populares would inevitably decline. Somehow Vita didn't doubt the fact that the invasion would succeed. 

After long hours of thinking on the matter she decided to throw in her lot with the militarists. After all, as long as there is war, there is a need for soldiers. And as long as there is a need for soldiers, her adoptive father would be able to stay in the army. It was the least she could do for him in such a situation. 

***

The library soon became Vita's sanctum where she would spend most of her days, reading one book after another. Of course, the palace boasted an incredible collection of rarest tomes from not only Garlemald but other countries as well, both conquered and independent. Vita was amused to find out that she now could somehow read not only in High Garlean and Common, but also in languages she had never learnt before — Thavnairian and Bozjan which used the same alphabet and Doman and Hingan in their hieroglyphic forms as well. She could read them as though they were the languages she had spoken since her childhood, and she couldn't be happier, but… how? 

She was reading a Bozjan study on Queen Gunnhildr and her role in the history of early Ilsabardian states when she heard clanking of metal armor that could only mean someone was approaching. 

"Lady Vita, I presume?"

Vita closed the tome and turned to the person addressing her with a polite smile that has become her permanent mask since day one at the palace. 

"That would be me. And you are?.."

The armored person who was obviously a high-ranking officer gave a small bow. Vita thought that the military tradition of wearing helmets is really irritating — she can't see the emotions of another and plan her answers accordingly. 

"Nael van Darnus, the Legatus of the VIIth Imperial Legion." So, the White Raven himself. She thought his voice would be deeper.

"I'm pleased to meet you in person, Legatus," Vita gave a bow in response. "My father has always told me great things about you."

"And I in turn have heard that you are taking great interest in the ancient civilizations that we have so much to learn from," responded Darnus. 

"Yes, and I'm quite sad that I didn't get to continue my scientific pursuits. I think there is still much to learn about Allag and its technology."

"Ah, so your interest must be a running family thing," Vita could swear that under the helmet the Legatus was smiling. Her heart skipped a beat. He surely wasn't talking about the Fidelis, they never were scholars, so he must be meaning…

"I used to know dear Lucina when we were both younger," Nael said. "A pity that such a tragedy happened to a bright young scientist," judging by his voice totally devoid of any emotion it clearly wasn't that much of a pity. 

Lucina was Vita's elder (truly elder, almost twenty years older) sister and a scholar studying the ancient history of the three continents. After the catastrophe that befell their house when Vita herself was but a newborn she went on to study Allag with even more vigor than before until one day she mysteriously disappeared from the archaeological site in freshly conquered Gyr Abania. Vita didn't remember much about her sister (she was only four when she had disappeared), but knew that if there was her family member who would still be alive and well, that would be her. 

She couldn't show her interest right now, though. It was clear that Nael was making an advance on her on behalf of the militarist faction, but if she immediately hopped on with it the chance was as good as gone. However, of the militarists intend to get her inside their dealings, it means she can make at least somewhat a useful ally. 

***

Emet-Selch had already gotten used to meeting the shards of those he had previously known since the Sundering had occurred, he thought. He thought that anyone Hydaelyn would deem right to throw at him wouldn't be a shock to him after all that had happened since the original world was Sundered. However, he didn't expect to see what he saw in a girl that seemed to be just another hunter for a prestigious standing at the palace. He didn't expect to see Vita bas Fidelis.

For she was a shard of a person he had known before, and known so well they might as well have been brothers. The one who should have been Emet-Selch instead of him, and maybe — he would think countless times — if he were one of the Convocation, the tragedy might have been averted.

He had met the shards of Hythlodaeus more than often, but it was the first time that a six-times-rejoined soul was infested with the blessing of Light. He could see already how it was twisting the precious little that remained of the original Amaurotine soul, how She was shaping this vessel to become what she needed it to become — the mindless puppet fighting for the greater good, as She would always do with Her followers. Emet-Selch could already see the signs of corruption even with his mortal vessel's eyes — it would be quite soon when Hydaelyn tries to use her to "banish Darkness", more than likely represented by him. Interesting that She would choose a Garlean for this — but if the girl gets her hands on the Crystal of Light, she will be able to manipulate at least some aether. This he can prevent. 

_You want to play this game, than,_ the Ascian thought. _But we will see who will get the upper hand in it._

He would keep a close eye on the girl, and if the Rejoining proceeds as planned, he would see his dear friend rejoined and reunited with him even before Vita bas Fidelis' mortal life ends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I mention this will totally get canon-divergent? Well now I did.
> 
> I have a blueprint of the plot up until the end of 5.2, but with whatever patch 5.3 throws at us it will likely become non-canon-compilant, so I'm just warning before we get too deep in this.
> 
> We still have some way to go to the events of ARR but I want to get Vita and Sumire's stories straight before we reach the canon plot that won't change much until Stormblood starts.

**Author's Note:**

> there are so much headcanons here because SE wouldn't give me that sweet Garlean lore


End file.
